In recent years, many companies have started to offer in-home digital video services to their customers using packet-switched transmission technologies such as internet protocol television (IPTV). These new video services and associated hardware require “upstream” communication for certain functionality, such as video on demand (VOD), web browsing, and other interactive features. In addition, these digital video services are increasingly being offered as part of a package with internet data and phone services using a single hardware platform. One obstacle to the sales and installation of such services is the requirement for additional hardware, such as digital television set top boxes, and the need for upgraded cabling throughout the home to reach the individual set top boxes.
In a typical installation, a device known as a residential gateway is installed in the home for communicating with the upstream provider equipment. The residential gateway is then connected to individual set top boxes throughout the home, with a separate set top box installed near and connected to each television being used. The set top boxes are needed to convert the Ethernet 802.3 packet-based video signals from the residential gateway into a format that can be interpreted by the television, such as Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) signals. In order to connect the residential gateway to the set top boxes, however, Ethernet Category 5 (CAT-5) cabling must be run from the residential gateway to each room where a set top box and television is to be located. Since most homes do not have existing Ethernet CAT-5 cabling already installed, the labor and material cost of adding such cabling, in addition to the cost of the individual set top boxes, can be quite high.
An alternative solution known in the art is to communicate the gateway Ethernet signals over the existing coaxial cabling in the home using a “Ethernet over coax” protocol, such as the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HPNA) or Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MOCA) protocol, but this solution often proves unsatisfactory since the existing coaxial cable connectors, or perhaps entire cable runs, may need to be upgraded to accommodate the higher frequencies of the Ethernet signals. This solution also still requires a technician to come to the home, as most customers are not capable of performing and troubleshooting the required wiring upgrades themselves.